Newspaper Page Text
FRIDAY
August 26, 2005
Volume 135, Number 174
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2005
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
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Looking For
Granddaddy
Billy Powell recalls his
grandfather during his
high school championship
basketball game.
Family&Faith, page 7A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Delores Anderson
Richard Barry
Lori Chaloult
Brent O’Reilly
Heather Reed
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or
anniversary is, and we'll put their
names in the paper that day. Just
send the name and date at least
a week in advance, and we'll do
the rest. E-mail to
hhj@evansnewspapers.com, or
mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please.
Many happy returns!)
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
Cheryl and Gary Skeen
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or
anniversary is, and we'll put their
names in the paper that day. Just
send the name and date at least
a week in advance, and we'll do
the rest. E-mail to
hhj@evansnewspapers.com, or
mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please.
Many happy returns!)
Area DEATH
Edward Thomas
Obits, page 2A
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 12A
CLUB NEWS 13A
COMICS 8A
CROSSWORD 8A
FAMILY&FAITH .. .7A
OBITUARY 2A
OPINION 4A
POLICE BEAT 6A
SCHOOL NEWS . 14A
SPORTS 9A
TV LISTINGS 8A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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5
Georgia Hewepapear Project
Main Library
UNIV OF GEORGIA
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
FOR ADC 301
August 26, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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* LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, \
city of Perry, city’ of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
DA issues warning on video gambling
Burke to prosecute vendors, store owners who break Ga. law
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HH.) Mike George
Houston Circuit District Attorney Kelly Burke, left, leans on a video gambling machine during an infor
mational meeting at the Houston County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon. Burke and Lt. Lance
Watson, right, with the Warner Robins Police Department’s Narcotics Division, spoke with a group of
around 45 vendors about Georgia’s video gambling laws.
MSC to offer nursing degree in WR
Hospital authority funds teaching position for one year
From staff reports
Houston Healthcare is teaming up
with Macon State College to offer cours
es for the associate degree in nursing at
MSC’s Warner Robins Campus.
The Hospital Authority of Houston
County unanimously approved the allo
cation of $60,000 to fund a teaching
position for one year at the college, in
Wednesday night’s meeting. The
authority also agreed to make more of
the hospital’s clinical facilities available
as teaching environments for the stu
dent nurses.
“We recognize that the tremendous
growth in Houston County will require
the Houston Healthcare complex to
dramatically expand its services to a
rapidly increasing population,” said
MSC President David A. Bell.
“Anticipating the critical role RNs will
play in delivering these services, the
college is gathering the resources and
talent needed to produce more regis
Housing
starts,
values up
in county
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Countywide, single-family
dwelling permits are down
slightly from the previous
month but up from last year
at this time, with the valua
tion of the new homes also
on the rise.
There were 126 permits
issued countywide in July,
down from the 139 issued in
June, but up from the 122
issued in July 2004. The
average cost of the homes
July count ywide at
$145,341, is up from June’s
average of $117,094 and
July 2004’s $125,051.
While down
and in each of the three
See COUNTY, page 14A
www.hhjnews.com
tered nurses. The support of Houston
Healthcare is invaluable in the develop
ment of those resources.”
MSC expects to admit a charter class
of about 40 nursing majors at the
Warner Robins Campus, beginning next
spring. This program will produce its
first nursing graduates in the fall of
2007.
The college already offers the bache
lor’s degree in nursing at the Warner
Robins Campus, which is a completion
program designed for RNs with associ
ate degrees who want to earn a four
year degree to increase their profession
al knowledge and advance their careers.
The associate’s degree leading to RN
licensure is heavier on field-based clini
cal experiences, which meant that
Macon State needed to identify clinical
settings in Houston County for stu
dents and faculty to use in order to offer
courses in Warner Robins. A certain
See AUTHORITY, page 3A
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HHJ/Don Moncrief
Warner Robins players work out at the school Monday. Last year, the Demons were
trailing Baldwin 24-14 heading into the final quarter of play. They then rallied for a
42-24 win. That sent the Braves on a five-game tailspin - however, they did win six
of their last seven ballgames and made it into the second round of the state play
offs. That being the case, Baldwin has not forgotten the Demons. See story 9A
So, we meet again
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HHJ William John Hagan
Houston Healthcare CEO Frank Aaron addresses the problem of
nursing shortages.
ONE SECTION • 14 PAGES
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
Houston Circuit District Attorney Kelly
Burke vowed to prosecute illegal video
gambling during a meeting at the
Houston County Courthouse Wednesday,
but he wants to make sure vendors and
convenience store owners understood the
state law before he begins.
Wednesday’s meeting was part of a set
tlement agreement reached in January
with store owners and vendors surround
ing a civil lawsuit filed over video poker
machines seized in Warner Robins in
October. According to Lt. Lance Watson, a
narcotics officer with the Warner Robins
Police Department, police raided around
10 stores, seizing SIOO,OOO and 87 video
poker and video gambling machines.
Burke and Watson met with a group of
around 45 vendors and convenience store
owners in the jury assembly room of the
courthouse Wednesday afternoon to try to
explain Georgia’s video gambling laws.
“Many people don’t understand the
rules,” Burke said. “The law is not as
crystal-clear as we’d like, but it’s there.”
Under Georgia law, store owners and
clerks can’t hand out cash when a player
wins. But under the law, they can hand
out vouchers, tickets, or coins that can be
redeemed for up to $5 worth of merchan
dise.
“We’re not looking to surprise any
body,” Burke said. “Selling crack cocaine
is illegal, period, everybody knows that.
“But video poker is legal unless it’s done
in an illegal way.”
See VIDEO, page 14A
Houston
jobless
rate
drops
By RAY LIGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Metro Warner Robins’
unemployment rate dropped
0.1 percent from June’s 5.2
percent to 5.1 percent in
July according to the
Georgia Department of
Labor.
The 5.1 percent is still
greater than the 4.2 percent
unemployment rate for July
2004. The Warner Robins
metro area, which includes
all of Houston County, had a
lower unemployment rate
than metro Macon’s 6.1 and
the state average of 5.6 for
the month of July.
See JOBLESS, page 3A
an Evans Family Newspaper
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